Review: Russell IP'eh India Pale Ale

I find Russell Brewing's beers hit or miss, but I respect any brewery that pushes out micros as often as they possibly can to keep beer connoisseurs happy.

Tonight's selection is Russell's IP'eh! India Pale Ale. I'm a lover of IPAs so I'm looking forward to this. This is $5.50 for a 650mL bottle, has an ABV of 6.5% and IBU of 53. So let's do this thing!

Appearance: Nice painted label, with a maple leaf logo paying tribute to the 1972 Team Canada hockey team. Pours a rich honey brown, eggshell white foam.. so far it seems like an IPA.

Aroma: Citrusy hops, that's what I'm talking about. When I smell lots of hoppiness in an IPA, it makes me salivate.

Taste: Very bitter and acidic. The bitterness of the hops lingers on your tongue after you swallow the beer. It's missing a bit of that citrus zing I'm used to in most IPAs. It may be a bit TOO bitter for my liking.

Overall thoughts: A bit too bitter tasting for my liking, but still drinkable. I probably will buy it again because I'm a bit IPA fan, and it's pretty rare to see individual portion bottles of IPA in the LC.

From the label: Russell IP'eh! Quirky name - serious taste! WORLD CUP BRONZE MEDAL WINNER 2010. This classic English-style India Pale Ale is well-balanced with exceptional drinkability. Generously hopped with Pacific North West Cascade and Willamette hops and finished with a dry hopping of Cascade flowers. Caramel and toffee notes, from specialty English Malts, anchor the bitterness and deliver a well-balanced finish.Russell IP'eh! is part of the Russell Brewmaster Series which is a succession of small batch beers crafted for an unconventional beer drinker.Russell Brewing has been brewing premium craft beer since 1995. Our beer is 100% natural and has no preservatives. We dont pasturize which means that we don't kill the taste - you drink it the way it is brewed. Fanatical about beer, we believe that the passion and quality that goes into creating Russell beer comes through in the taste. Enjoy!

Cody Lobreau

Welcome to BeerCrank.ca! I'm a bit obsessed about craft beer, especially Canadian craft beer so I mainly review Canadian beer but I love to try beer from all over the world as well. My goal is to help influence the casual beer drinker to go out and expand their beer palate one way or another. Feel free to send some feedback!
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